A briefing paper said that ethnic minority women were relatively well educated, but were not doing as well financially as their white colleagues.
Source: Sue Botcherby and Karen Hurrell, Ethnic Minority Women and Men, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Links: Briefing (pdf) | Tables | EOC press release
Date: 2004-Dec
Researchers found that 2 in 3 people admitted prejudice against one or more minority groups. Prejudice was felt most strongly against asylum-seekers and Travellers. Older people and disabled people were subject to the least prejudice.
Source: Gill Valentine and Ian McDonald, Understanding Prejudice: Attitudes towards minorities, Stonewall (020 7881 9440)
Links: Report (pdf) | Stonewall press release
Date: 2004-Nov
A standard was published which was designed to assist local authorities to plan, develop and promote racial equality through the formulation and delivery of their sports provision and services.
Source: Promoting Racial Equality through Sport: A standard for local authority sport and leisure services, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Standard (pdf) | LGA press release
Date: 2004-Nov
The government responded to consultation on a proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights. Key changes included: the Commission would publish a 'state of the nation' report on a regular basis to track progress towards equality and human rights goals; there would be no statutory criteria for which equality cases it might support - the Commission would have the freedom to set its own priorities in this respect; there would be an explicit role to combat prejudice, and work to reduce crime affecting particular communities, such as hate crime; the Commission would be able to bring proceedings in its own name without reference to the Secretary of State, against persons committing acts of unlawful advertising, instructions and pressure to discriminate. The Commission for Racial Equality dropped its opposition to the new Commission, following assurances that it would keep its independence for a further 4-5 years.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 18 November 2004, columns 105-110WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | DTI press release | EOC press release | Citizens Advice press release | MCB press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
A report said that, despite the large number of black players in top football clubs, those who ran the game were still almost exclusively white.
Source: Mel Welch, Karl Spracklen and Amanda Pilcher, Racial Equality in Football: A survey, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | EOC press release
Date: 2004-Oct
A report drew together an extensive collection of Joseph Rowntree Federation research projects, including the Race Equality and Disability Programme. It concluded that the projects clearly highlighted a need for mainstream services, and also service providers within minority ethnic communities, to develop strategies to increase the accessibility and appropriateness of services.
Source: Kusminder Chahal, Experiencing Ethnicity: Discrimination and service provision, Foundations 914, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: JRF Foundations 914 (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
The government announced that new laws would be introduced to combat discrimination on the grounds of religion. The measures would outlaw religious discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services and premises.
Source: Press release 28 September 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | CRE press release | MCB press release
Date: 2004-Sep
An article examined how domestic violence services to women of African, African-Caribbean, South Asian, Jewish and Irish backgrounds were structured by assumptions about culture which produced barriers to the delivery of domestic violence services.
Source: Erica Burman, Sophie Smailes and Khatidja Chantler, 'Culture as a barrier to service provision and delivery: domestic violence services for minoritized women', Critical Social Policy, Volume 24 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2004-Aug
A report provided an update on the progress made in implementing the race equality action plan published by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit in October 2002.
Source: Race Equality in Neighbourhood Renewal, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
The Commission for Racial Equality announced that its commissioners had decided to 'unequivocally reject' proposals for a Commission for Equality and Human Rights, as laid out in a government White Paper. It said the proposals had little support from black and minority ethnic communities, and that there were fears that the CRE's work on integration would be 'lost'. (The CRE had previously indicated support for the proposal.)
Source: Press release 22 July 2004, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: CRE press release | Stonewall press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
The Commission for Racial Equality published its annual report for 2003.
Source: Annual Report: 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003, Commission for Racial Equality, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | CRE press release
Date: 2004-Jul
A taskforce report said that business could reap 'huge rewards' if they became more effective at drawing on the increased pool of minority ethnic workers.
Source: Task Force on Race Equality and Diversity in the Private Sector, Race Equality: The benefits for responsible business, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A report analysed the views and experiences of young people from minority ethnic communities in Northern Ireland. More than 50 young people between the ages of 10 and 18 from minority ethnic communities were interviewed as part of the research.
Source: Count Me In, Save the Children in Northern Ireland (028 9043 1123) and Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Jun
A factsheet compared income levels across broad ethnic groups, using information combined from three years of the 'Individual Incomes Series' (part of the Family Resources Survey), from 1999-2000 to 2001-02. It looked at the level of weekly income that men and women had in their own right, including earnings, occupational pensions, investments, tax credits, and benefits.
Source: Individual Incomes of Men and Women by Ethnicity, Women and Equality Unit/Department of Trade and Industry (0845 001 0029)
Links: Factsheet (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
Two reports highlighted progress being made by the Home Office towards race equality among its own staff.
Source: Race Equality: Home Secretary s Employment Targets, Home Office (0870 000 1585) | Employment Monitoring Report under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, Home Office
Links: Targets report (pdf) | Monitoring report (pdf) | Home Office press release
Date: 2004-May
The Commission for Racial Equality launched a strategy document, following consultation, on Gypsies and Travellers. It said that discrimination against Gypsies and Travellers appeared to be the last 'respectable' form of racism. The top priority was to secure better site provision.
Source: Gypsies and Travellers: A strategy for the CRE, 2004-2007, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: Strategy | CRE press release
Date: 2004-Apr
A research report said that small voluntary organisations, particularly black/ethnic minority groups, found it difficult to access funding, especially core funding; and that the grants process took too long. Black/ethnic minority organisations felt they were unfairly treated by funders, who held stereotypical perceptions of the way in which they worked.
Source: Karen Chouhan and Clarence Lusane, Black Voluntary and Community Sector Funding: Its impact on civic engagement and capacity building, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 224
Date: 2004-Feb
The Audit Commission said that many public organisations were unsure of what they were trying to achieve in the area of race equality. Too many focused on setting up systems which merely complied with the letter of the law. Service providers needed to prioritise and integrate equality by reshaping organisational culture, increasing accountability, and understanding the barriers to progress. Managers and front-line staff needed to have the training, resources and confidence to address race equality as an integral part of their daily work.
Source: Journey to Race Equality Delivering improved services for local communities, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release
Date: 2004-Jan